1. Making sense of Lobbyists, Interest Groups, and SuperPACs!

4. Who are all these people?
Interest Groups – Organized groups who share like ideas and try to influence decisions
Lobbyists – Representatives of these groups
SuperPAC’s – organizational arm of the I.G. that donates money to campaigns.

5. To CLARIFY & SIMPLIFY: Interest Groups deal with every day legislation SuperPAC’s deal with elections

6. According to Janda: Depends on your commitment to Freedom or Equality
Are IG’s Good or Evil?
According to Janda: Depends on your commitment to Freedom or Equality

7. THREE TYPES OF IG’s Public Interests Protect Worker’s Rights
Business Interests (half of all IG’s in DC) Oil, tobacco, cable TV, fast food, etc……

9. Role of Interest Groups:
Representation
Participation
Education
Agenda Building
Program Monitoring

11. How the Iron Triangle Works
Congress
Money to support the bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
Does something beneficial for an interest group
INTEREST GROUP
Appreciation and Support through the election process

12. All of this is regulated and monitored by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC)
FEC Donation Limits

13. What is a PAC? Political Action Committees
A 'PAC' is a specific type of non-profit that supports a specific candidate and has to disclose donors, and donations are limited.

14. SuperPACs
Officially known as an "independent expenditure-only committee"
Result of two 2010 SC Cases; namely Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission 2010
Reversed “McCain-Fiengold” Act (2002)
RULING: First Amendment prohibits the government from censoring political broadcasts in candidate elections when those broadcasts are funded by corporations or unions.

15. SuperPACs a "superPAC" can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money
A "superPAC" can directly attack a political candidate. However, a“superPAC" is not allowed to coordinate directly with candidates.
A “superPAC” must disclose donors, but has unlimited donations. HOWEVER….
Many have created “arms” of their superPACs that are non-profits which do NOT have to disclose (i.e. Grover Norquist’s group)

16. SuperPACs
SuperPACs are doing (and paying for) the tasks once done by candidates themselves. For example, negative ads.

17. 2016 Election SuperPACS Conservative Solutions – Rubio’s
New Day for America – Kasich’s
Priorities USA – Hillary’s
Which candidates had NO SUPERPACS?